New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1887-11-27

LATER WORK OF TIE VICTORIAN IoErS.

LATER WORK OF THE VICTORIAN ] OEIS.
VICTORIAN Poets Revised AMI Extended. by a
Supplementary chapter. 20 the fiftcth Year Of tho
PerioI under Review BY EpMr>p CLAEL>gL STLD-
MAN l2mo. PIP. XIV, 52l Hough'on, Mimn co
When Mr.. W. ID. Howes recalls to mind hi, re-
cent declaration that criticism Is very lOwly If
not altoge ether useless industry, and that critics
have no gOoi reason for being AMI his advice that
instead Of listening 20 those who have made life
long study OF literature, we should call upon the
country new spapers to print for the opinions OF
the "parsons, teachers clerks" aud "intcllIgrnt
women of the neIghborhood who read The new
bOoks-when lie recalls TO mind these and various
other pc ulant utterances. aud then casts his eye
over the two volumes i'll which Mr. Stedman has
discussed the English and American poets OF our
time he must feel a little confnsdcd
and ashamed. For in these two books
are all the quaitic, which Mr.. llowclls
thinks thai our criticism lacks and the work
which he thinks that critics cannot or should not
do is done so well that dispute about 1T seems out
Of the question. Mr.. Stedman has a remarkable
familiarity with the literary work OF the period he
mas put under review, a broad com irehension of
its spirit and tendencies, an exquisite artistic jadg
ment an almost intuitive power OF discriminating
bet ween essentials and accidents, and q keen SEN
sibty to poetical impr ssons. Far from max
ing caprices Of individual taste ms standards OF
right and truth it IL one OF the rare merits OF his
criticism that he can appreciate what he does not
like and test the quality Of poem by tho poets
own measure. We have sometimes been surprised
by Mr. Stcdmans cOriiality toward singers Of little
fame but almost always IN such cases We have
had to admit upon second thought. that he dis
Germs note Of true music OF a light Of promise.
which escapes the less acute and sympathetic OBJ
server He delights in Interpreting such elusive
charms rather than In scoring faults which are
plain enough to all the world.
The new chapter which he has added to his
"Victorian Poets reviews the product OF the past
twelve years, thus bringing the English record
down to even date with the " Poets OF America
and making the two books moro exactly the com
panions and compliments of each other. The fresh
material, which comprises about seventy pages IL
devoted In a large measure to the examination OF
nresent poetical tendencies and this is necessarily
illustrated with mention OF great number OF
minor poets-sO many that we have nearly ex-
baustiye record Of those entitled even to passing
attention. Such n catalogue. pointed by quick
touches OF criticism is Of high value In defining the
literary movement, and has no relation TO any
excessive estimate of the real value OF the current
DO teal work No star of the first magnitude has
risen OIL the English horizon since Dir. Stedman
made his study of the VICTORIAN Poets
in 1878. none worthy of a separate chapter.
He adds q few pages. however upon tho
later work of some of the masters OF whom he
treated in the earlier editions, upon lennys0n,
browning and Swinburuc, with briefcr remarks
upon R0ssetti. lie does not JON IN the com!ron
cutlery against TennsvsOns recent verse III when
he sees the afer glow of n still radiant genius; the
persiflaqe directed against such pieces as y Vast
ness" and the second Looksley Hall is tho I'M
pat tent expression of generation not used to his
habit Of speech and not IN sympathy with his habit
of thought. Tennyson is best understood and en-
Joyed by those who have grown up with his poems.
The careful paragraphs on Browning are the most
important Of Mr.. Stedman's additions. They
supplement the arst study not only by a review Of
tho poets later publications. but by fuller exam
nation of his position In lterature-a position
which has become far more definite in the past
twelve years. and in some respects has been